Media release: “Improvements to grazing land management offer a range of productivity, environmental, and agribusiness
benefits, which bring together the complementary goals of improved pasture for graziers and improved water
quality entering the Great Barrier Reef,” said Verterra Ecological Engineering Managing Director, Dr Glenn Dale.
“The method represents a significant step in the development of ecosystem service markets in general, and the
Reef Credit market in particular, by providing an auditable and verifiable means for landholders to improve their
productivity while recognising and financially rewarding landholders for good land stewardship.”
The GLM method quantifies and values the reduction in sediment losses resulting from improved grazing land
practices that are above the regulated minimums, aiming to incentivise graziers to achieve a high level of ground
cover before high intensity rainfall periods, to reduce sediment run-off onto the Reef.
Verterra Ecological Engineering, AgriProve and GreenCollar partnered to deliver this method to enable
generation of revenue for graziers that make changes to land management which result in reduced flow of fine
sediment to the Great Barrier Reef, protecting one of the natural wonders of the world.
“By working together to create the GLM method, we hope to deliver future opportunities for more land managers
to undertake projects and generate revenue from Reef Credits.” GreenCollar CEO, James Schultz said. “GLM is
another outcome-based method that will enable pollutant reductions to be achieved at scale and will complement
the other Reef Credit methodologies to create a market-based solution to help address water quality in Reef
catchment areas.”
“Importantly, the GLM method has been designed to complement and work alongside soil carbon projects. We
hope to see application of the method result in maximised soil health benefits, boosting grazing productivity and
sequestering carbon through whole-of-property management planning.” AgriProve, Founder and Managing
Director Matthew Warnken said.
“Eco-Markets Australia’s independent administration of the Reef Credit Scheme ensures that every methodology,
including the GLM method, experiences a thorough evaluation before being approved to generate Reef Credits,”
says Eco-Markets Australia CEO Maree Adshead. “Our comprehensive evaluative process ensures that Reef
Credits reflect measurable, verifiable reductions in fine sediment or dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) entering
the Great Barrier Reef. This approach reinforces our commitment to ensuring transparency and trust in the
market.”
Verterra Ecological Engineering has pioneered the method’s quantification approach and incorporated it within
DROVER, an integrated property management and reporting toolkit. “DROVER provides project proponents and
owners with key insights into property condition by quantifying the difference between historic and present-day
sediment losses to the Reef through regular monitoring of ground cover change via remote sensing technology,”
said Andrew Yates of Verterra Ecological Engineering. “DROVER aims to act as a decision support tool to
enhance the grazing land management practices of landholders.”
Projects on any grazing land within the Great Barrier Reef catchments may be eligible to benefit. Further
information about eligibility under the GLM Method for Reef Credits is available here.
